Family Man
by Nature9000
Summary: A once passionate husband and father, David Vega has worked hard to provide for family but when tension between his family and career begins to tear them apart, he is forced to make a choice between the two. David must work harder than he's worked in his life to balance the two and prove himself to his family, or risk losing them forever.
1. The Weak-hearted Boy

Family Man

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Victorious? I do not, leave me be.

A/N: So this is extremely different than what I've done, while at the same time similar to my type I suppose. There will probably be a lot of drama in this. So, looking forward to this since it is in David's perspective. Let's start off with some memories though, I have to work a system in the first act. So probably the first three chapters will be working from the past towards the present. Note the first 3 were supposed to be one, but I'm going to give them to you in bits, so let me know each bit what you think

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Chapter 1 (The Weak-hearted Man)

"Dude, I can't smoke anymore, coach will kick me off the team!" Nineteen year old David Vega laughed with his baseball friends offering him a joint. "Dad might kick me out too." He was studying law enforcement in college while also playing college baseball, his father really wanted him to carry on the 'tradition' of being a police officer and didn't believe his son had time for all that he got involved in.

Of course, David had always had a rebellious streak since he turned fourteen. He smoked pot on occasion, drank alcohol and went to parties all the time. He never got arrested, thankfully, but his dad was always hard on him about it, threatening that if he so much as screwed up again, he was done for. "It's just one hit," Gary Meander replied with smoke coming from his lips. "Your old man won't know."

Gary was his best friend in college and a fellow law enforcement student, he didn't play baseball though. "Man, I have to meet my girl after this. I don't have time to mess around."

"Holly? Ah your babe can wait man, she's seen you drunk-high-wasted…you name it." Holly Daniels was the daughter of her dad's coworker. The men didn't get along well, primarily because his father wrecked the man's car a long time ago. Alcohol ran in the family, but the men's side mainly. David's grandfather, for instance, had been an abusive drunkard before passing on-his death having been a year before retirement when he tried to apprehend a robber while drunk.

"You're right, maybe just one hit." He moved the joint to his lips and Gary brought a lighter up.

"So what are you and your woman doing tonight?" David inhaled the smoke and held his breath, feeling the smoke scratch at his throat. He eventually coughed, then decided to take another hit.

"Dude it's the fall semester '92, we're ending the summer off right!" Gary laughed as David took a third hit, coughing wildly and waving his hand in front of his face. If his father knew what he was up to, he'd probably be scolded for his lack of responsibility, but what did he care? He was a grade-A _adult_ now, free to do whatever the hell he wanted. "We're going up to The Peak. You know, the mountain that overlooks the city?"

"Awesome. Remember protection though, there's rumors that The Peak is cursed by an ancient Indian chief, and anyone that goes up there comes back down pregnant, dude."

"Dude! It's an old wives tale!"

"I know, right? So, is it your guys' first time?"

David shrugged and watched the smoke rise into the air. "Not really." They had sex at the start of summer, in his parent's bedroom. It was a way of saying 'fuck you' to his father. "I don't to brag or anything, man, but she is sexy under the covers."

"Ah man, you're lucky to get a woman like that. You love her?"

"Yes." There was no question about that. He wanted to marry her, screw what his father said about her. "I'm thinking I'm going to propose to her after the next big game. We might elope, our dads hate each other."

"So long as I'm the best man, I don't care what you do."

"You know it!" The boys high-fived one another and took a simultaneous hit, furthering themselves into a state of high.

Several weeks later David made the mistake of going to his baseball game drunk. The game was at the end of a big party with one of the fraternities he joined. Said fraternity was also part of the reason he was failing.

He tried to fight through his drunkenness, especially knowing his parents were watching from the stands, but he never went out into the field. His coach caught a whiff of his breath and benched him for the remainder of the game.

When it was over, he trudged out into the parking lot, sweaty, miserable and angry. To his great dismay, and the terror of his pounding, he could hear his father yelling at another man, with Holly standing close by. He ran up to them, waving his hands in the air. "Hey! Stop it with the bickering!"

"Damn you, boy!" Mr. Daniels threw a sharp punch, hitting David square in the jaw and flooring him. His hand flew to his jaw while the pain of the blow shot through his body.

Holly screamed and knelt beside him, "Daddy! Stop it!" David looked up with wide eyes, stunned by the sudden attack. The man towered over him, foaming at the mouth. George Vega stepped beside him. David felt the fire of his father's gaze burning into him.

"Well? David? What have you to say for yourself?"

He couldn't say a thing! What had he done? "I-I don't know? What's going on?" His father's eyes rolled and his voice grew thick and heavy with anger.

"You just lost your college funding-at least from me-that's what!" Holly bowed her head as George crossed his arms. David felt his body grow cold as the two fathers studied him, frightening him. Their wives were sitting in the cars, weeping.

"What's going on here?"

Holly closed her eyes and took a slow breath. "David. I-I'm pregnant…" His lips parted and his blood ran cold. Was it his? Of course it was his! George leaned into him and sniffed the air. A scowl formed his lips, and his eyes narrowed darkly.

"Alcohol? You've been drinking?" The man roared and pulled David to his feet. George then pushed his son back, his voice roaring into the skies. "That is it! I've had enough of your shenanigans! I'm done with you!"

"Dad?!"

"I'm not paying for you to party through college, and go getting women pregnant…" Holly put her hand to her chest and David struggled to react, wincing underneath his father. "You are the most irresponsible, undereducated, sorry excuse for a man." His eyes clenched shut as his father's anger continued to strike him down. Each verbal blow was heavy and terrible, causing him to quake with fear.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I know I screwed up, I just-" He should be defending Holly, shouldn't he? But he couldn't, he was too fearful in the moment. Too weak.

"You're a failure!" His eyes shot open and he breathed a sharp intake of air. "I have a failure and a pothead for a son!" George threw his hands up and began to storm towards the car. "Cares nothing for anything."

"That's not true, Dad."

"You had your chance son. I am not paying for your college funds anymore." He was hoping to get a higher start in the law enforcement. One didn't _need_ a degree to join the force, but having a degree helped with what position you started out at. Now, he'd have to start at the bottom if he couldn't finish school.

"Dad!"

"No more buts, you've had your fun. It's time to get serious, and until you do, we are done. No son of mine is going to be a drunken pothead. You? You have no right to call me 'dad'." David's eyes stung as tears ran over his cheeks. His father stormed away to the car. Holly threw her arms around him, but all he could do was watch his father's car disappear into the distance.

Katrina Vega was born April 20th, 1993, and much to David's dismay, he missed her birth. Not because of his job, which was just as a lowly patrol officer, but because at the end of his shift he'd been at a bar with Gary. Gary was old enough to purchase a beer and had snuck a few drinks to David, who'd bathed in alcohol through his depression.

Of course, he hadn't spoken to his father since Holly had been pregnant, much like she'd not spoken to her parents since then. It was her family that came from a super religious side, so when she was pregnant, the church shunned her with her own parents.

The couple eloped and moved into a small one bedroom trailer home, cut off from either set of their parents. They lived there well after the birth of their second daughter, Victoria, in June of 1995.

Much of David's time was spent bouncing his eldest daughter on his knees while watching some show on the television. He had a mediocre job as a patrol officer, so much of his free time was spent with a beer in his hand and his daughter playing nearby.

One night after tucking the girls into bed, his wife walked into the living area in her nightgown, her eyes were narrow and her jaw locked. David had come home late after his shift at work, between the end of his shift and his arrival home, he'd been out drinking at the bar. It was hard not to when it was the one thing relieving his depression. "Oh look, my drunk husband finally decided to come home." He snapped is head upright and winced at her angry glare.

"I'm not a drunk, I'm just-"

"A moody depressed man that missed _both_ of his daughters' births, and is reliant on alcohol…Yes your father disowned you, get over it! You have a family now, we're more important!"

"Of course you are, I spend every waking moment with my daughters. And you know I only missed Tori's because of work. I just…I just want to be able to be something to you and them, I have to be able to provide for you…" Holly smacked her hip and motioned her hand to the front door.

"And how are you doing that? Going out and spending all your money on liquor? This is why we don't live somewhere nice, David." Holly walked up to him and poked his chest with a finger while keeping her angry glare locked with his. "Grow up and be a man for fuck sakes! We live in a tiny trailer with two babies, and I refuse to be trailer trash for the rest of my life! Take some fucking responsibility and quit letting your dad's shit storm keep you from actually giving a shit about your family."

He cringed and looked down to the beer in his hand, suddenly he couldn't drink any more of it. Holly was right, he'd been a weak hearted man with no sense of responsibility. His family meant the world to him, and he needed them to know that.

"David. I love you, your daughters love you, be here for _us_." She took the beer from his hand and looked down at it with a long frown. "You don't need to go out and drink because you think you're a failure. You're not. Not to us, anyway…"

"I'm a twenty two year old college dropout working for shit pay, and can barely provide a good roof for my family while my dad's living a lavish life in his big house, just laughing it up. I'd say that pretty much makes me a failure."

Holly reached down and took his hand, looking into his eyes. "You're not a failure until you stop caring about your family."

"I'm doing the best I can."

"Then be here and not out drinking, because that's not the best you can be." The girls in his life needed him, and he would do everything in his power to be the man that they needed, the father and husband that was necessary. Nothing would stop him from being that man.

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That's the first part, what are your thoughts up to this piont? On to the next, I am giving you those first three because they're all interconnected and give you a bit of necessary buildup to understand where and why the characters are where they are.


	2. Downward Transformation

Family Man

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Victorious? I do not, leave me be.

A/N:

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Chapter 2 (Downward Transformation)

In 1999, David had enough money to purchase a small apartment for the family. He'd received a promotion for his hard work, but of course was given even more of a workload. He did his best to try and maintain a balance between work and his family. Holly was a stay at home mom still, and the children always seemed so happy, but they did all three complain about the neighborhood they'd moved into. It wasn't exactly the safest place, but it was the best he could do.

As time passed and the girls grew, the sisters were inseparable and David was immensely proud of them. Tori seemed to love nature and animals, going so far as to beg her parents for a pet on a daily basis. Trina, on the other hand, was more professed in athletics, and was enrolled in a gymnastics class by the age of six.

Also a plus was being able to work with his best friend again. Gary, of course, had finished college and was a higher ranked officer. Now they were the same rank and were partners on the beat. "It's good to be brothers in crime again, isn't it?" Gary remarked as David parked the patrol car at a stoplight.

"It is, and it's even nicer not to be arguing about a tiny house with my wife anymore." Gary leaned his elbow out of the car window and laughed.

"She's still with you? Man you are one lucky son of a gun." David winced and laughed at the same time. Gary always joked around that he was shocked Holly was still with David considering the man was so broke and poor. "But then all she cares about is that you care for your family, right?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm proud as hell of them. Trina's started taking gymnastics and karate. Tori's great too, it's going to be interesting when she starts school. She's only four and already she's reading at a first grade level." The light flickered green and David accelerated the car. "So how's your family doing? I know the last I heard you were dealing with some marital issues?"

"Yeah, the wife and I are getting a divorce." Gary removed a cigarette from his chest pocket and brought it to his lips. "One fuckin' strip club and Denise is leaving me." David rolled the windows down as his friend lit up the cigarette. He couldn't stand smoking anymore, but he wasn't going to tell Gary not to smoke. "I swear I wouldn't have to go if she would just have some sex. I mean we're married, so what's she doing still practicing celibacy? It's like I married a goddamn nun! Oh wait a moment." Gary flicked his eyes to the sky and moved his fingers in a cross over his chest, speaking with a mocking tone in his voice. "Forgive me lord for I know not what I speak." Gary reached for his cigarette and breathed out a heavy sigh. "Jesus Dave, I swear I wish I had your family."

"Hey man, I don't have much. At least I try. You don't see me chasing after some stripper because my wife doesn't put out."

"That's just it." Gary pulled the cigarette from his lips and exhaled the smoke. "Holly _obviously_ has sex with you. You've got two children that adore you. I have a wife that refuses to even touch me."

"It's not all sunshine over here you know. I'm still not making ends meet well enough. We can _barely_ afford the rent in that damn apartment. Not to mention, both of our parents refuse to help us in any way, even after all these years! At least Dad's willing to talk on the phone every once in a while, but he still thinks I'm a fuckup just because I didn't finish college."

"It's his own damn fault. He stopped paying just because you got your girlfriend pregnant."

David rolled his eyes. "It wasn't just that. It was everything building up to that moment that did it…" Just then, a car sped passed them. David flicked on the sirens and Gary adjusted himself for action. This truly was the life, catching speeders by day and going home to his adoring family by night. How could life get any better?

Up to the year 2005, he'd been promoted twice more and was given a double workload. The plus was he finally was able to move into a larger home with his family. This time the home was a single story home for rent, with two bedrooms, a bathroom and a living room that had joint access with the kitchen. There was a small study that he could set up in.

Of course, he had his eye on a two story home in LA but he didn't have the money to afford it even at his income. He was, however, a police captain now. So it could be about a year before he'd be able to afford the home for his family.

While he worked on some paperwork in his study, he was startled by his eldest daughter. He turned to see the twelve year old girl standing in her full karate uniform, and remembered that he'd promised her that he'd watch her practice. "Dad you said you'd watch me _an hour ago_. Come on!"

"I'm sorry honey, I'm swamped with paperwork. I have to get it done by tomorrow." Trina groaned and crossed her arms.

"I just spent an hour helping Tori with her science homework, maybe I should help you with yours?"

David chuckled softly as his daughter made her way to the desk. "That's thoughtful, but I'm afraid my work is a little harder than that."

"You're always so busy. You were never this busy before you got promoted."

"I'm busy because I'm trying to give you and your sister the best life possible."

"We don't need money as long as we have each other, right Daddy?" Maybe he was turning into his father, always valuing hard work and money in order to get ahead. It was necessary though, but it did break his heart to see the disappointment in his daughter. "I'm getting my black belt next week at the tournament. You're going to be there, right?"

His lips curved up and he reached for his calendar. "Of course I will. When is it and I'll schedule it down."

Trina moved her fingers to the desk and looked at the hand he held his pen, "Saturday at twelve. Mommy's looking forward to it. She and Tori think I should balance it out by joining the cheerleaders at school…" Trina shivered and David laughed. "I can't stand the cheerleaders, they do all those girly things I don't like, like painting each other's nails and doing their hair. They also go to the mall _all the time_."

"You do all of that with Tori."

"Yeah but she's different! She's my little sister who can't stop following me around everywhere." Trina pulled back and tilted her head to the right. "So Daddy, you'll be at the tournament Saturday?"

"Yes."

"Promise?"

"I promise. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Great!" She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Love you daddy!"

"I love you too sweetheart."

When Saturday rolled around, David was given an opportunity by his boss to do a job that would grant him a promotion to Commander. This was the chance of a lifetime! He would be able to provide more for his family and get them the house of their dreams in LA, so without thinking about it, he took the job which was essentially a day long stakeout.

Returning home that night, a heaviness descended upon him once he remembered Trina's karate tournament. He pushed the front door open and looked towards the couch, cringing with guilt. Trina and Tori were asleep on the sofa, with Trina holding onto her newly granted black belt.

Someone cleared their throat and David snapped his eyes to the kitchen counter where his wife's fiery glare fell on him. "Holly, I-"

"You _missed_ our daughter's tournament. Did you forget about it?" she walked around the corner and started to sniff his breath, as if assuming he was out drinking. He jerked backwards and shot her a strange look when she appeared satisfied. He hadn't even drank in years! "Relax, I'm just making sure alcohol wasn't more important than your children."

"It's not, you know I haven't drank in years! I got a promotion, we can finally get that home you've been wanting." Holly put her hands to her hips and her face fell flat. She lifted her hands up and wiggled her fingers.

"Whoopee! Great news!" He closed his eyes and grimaced as her sarcasm stabbed him. Holly then pointed towards Trina clutching her prize. "I don't know if you heard, but your favorite little girl got a promotion too, jackass. She's been up all night waiting for her dad to get home so she could show it to you."

"I-I'm sorry."

"Is that the best you can do? Really? Go shove your promotion up your ass while I put our daughters to bed…"

It was the first time he would forget to be there for one of his children, but it would not be the last. The harder he worked to provide for them, the harder it was to make time for them at the same time. For when Tori was eleven, she had a science project that he promised to help with for a science fair, but his boss called him to work on some paperwork and was unable to help.

Tori came home from that same fair with a gold medal to indicate winning at her passion, but his door to the study had been locked and he was busy on the phone, listening to his father shout profanities at him. He didn't even know his daughter won until he saw her tiny fingers slip the medal beneath the door.

He wanted to tell her how proud of her she was, just as proud as he was of Trina, but for some reason he just never was able to do so.

Even when Trina was fourteen, she auditioned for Hollywood Arts, managing to get into the athletic department due to her skills at martial arts. Tori made it in two years later, where Holly forced him to be there for their daughter this time, despite his leaving his phone on in case his boss tried to get ahold of him.

Always trying to provide for his family and make the next promotion so he could have more money for them, he was slowly slipping into that busybody type that his father had once been. This made him not notice many things that he wished to notice.

Such as Trina joining the track team in high school, or Tori slowly forsaking her science classes because she didn't think she was good enough if her dad didn't bother with her studies. Her goal no longer was to go into a scientific field but to be some sort of starlet, a view given to her by her new influential friends that appeared to cause her to compromise the respect she had for her family by letting them disrespect her family.

David would do nothing, noticing nothing.

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So a little tension beginning. Good to note this story was inspired by family issues in a game I played recently that reminded me of said issues in the Vega family.


	3. The Screw-up Father

Family Man

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Victorious? I do not, leave me be.

A/N: This is the final bit of the past where the next chapter will start off where this leaves off.

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Chapter 3 (Screw-up)

Over a period of time, Trina had started to date, and David had at least been able to remind every boy she dated that they ought to treat her right. Of course, this usually led to her calling him a hypocrite due to his pretending to care. He had a lot of respect for one of Trina's friends, who she began to date around 2010, Sinjin. Unlike the friends Tori had been hanging around, this one had more of a deep respect for the family.

The good thing about the people that both his daughters hung out with was despite the suspicion, such as Jade being meanspirited and violent natured, no one had put their hands on his daughters. He may have begun to grow neglectful, but one thing was true, he _was _protective of his family, and probably more than they realized. There wasn't much that could cloud his judgment away from that fact.

Until he found several texts between Holly and _Gary_, of all people. She'd been having an affair for a little over a year with the man. Rather than confront them about their betrayal, he returned to something he'd not done in years. Drinking.

He drowned his sorrows first at the bar, then returned home to further drink in his study. _"How could they?"_ He whined at a photo of his wife and slowly shook his head. _"After all I've done for her? My best friend?!"_ He moved his hand over his eyes and began to tremble. In his mind he fantasized about what he would do, but he'd never have the guts to confront the man over his obvious betrayal. He let his head fall to the desk.

His mind drifted to more amusing thoughts as he hoped to distract himself from the reality. For some time this worked, and all he could do was think sarcastic and humorous thoughts to keep his mind off the dull pains he felt in his heart.

"Daddy!" Trina's voice burst in his ears, and his head snapped to the door. She sounded distressed, but for some reason, even that sounded funny. This was the point he realized he had far too much to drink. "Daddy help!"

"I'm coming." He left his study to see Tori's three friends hiding behind the couch. Beck, Andre, and Robbie were all holding up funny little sock puppets. Trina was standing in the kitchen, breathing heavily. She rushed over to his side. "What's going on?"

"They're fighting and scaring me. Beck grabbed me." She pointed to her wrist, then her waist. "It hurt a little." David raised an eyebrow and looked over to Beck. He didn't like what he was hearing, but for some reason those puppets were keeping him amused. "Daddy?"

"Is this, is this true boys?" His voice cracked as a smirk flashed at his lips. Trina's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as David crossed his arms. Normally he wouldn't even ask, he'd just send them away without question. Beck stood up, smirking slightly.

"I don't know what she's talking about. She just went crazy, sir. She stomped on my foot then ran into the closet, screaming for you." David bowed his head and listened to his daughter's shocked gasp. "We only came for an intervention, teaching her a lesson in social graces, if you will."

"I see…with puppets."

"Yes sir."

Trina smacked her hand in the air and scoffed, "Don't tell me you believe _them_ over _me!_ You're just going to let them humiliate me like this?_"_

"You're going away from here when you go to college, right?" He chuckled at the sock puppets, then tore his gaze away, confused by his words. He looked over to Trina, whose mouth was ajar and her eyes wide and pained.

"Excuse me?"

"I uh-"

She sniffed the air and let her hands fly over her mouth and nose. "Oh god, you've been drinking!" Trina's voice rose as she stormed over to the three men. "You three! Out! Get out!"

"But Trina-" Beck started to defend himself, but she wasn't hearing him. Instead of listening, she grabbed him by the collar and threw him out of the house with a violent scream. She then turned towards David, glaring him in the eyes for a full minute before she stormed off to her bedroom.

Regardless of the circumstances, he didn't remember much of the exchange. After that, the tension between Trina and Tori's friends was significantly worse. When she went to the community college, she stayed at home, which Tori's friends all mocked her for. David never understood why it was their business, but he never said anything. What was there to say? He could no more control them than they could realize how much they were disrespecting Tori by not respecting Trina or the family.

Besides, he was still aching over finding out about his wife and best friend sleeping around with each other. Still, he struggled to remain observant. One thing he could tell was that Hollywood Arts had been changing Tori. She'd become more focused on getting attention from directors or producers and had even taken to joining her friends in making fun of her sister.

Seeing this was devastating. He asked Tori why her friends treated her sister so badly, and her simple reply was that they didn't think success and talent had anything to do with athleticism. Trina had been the top athlete at Hollywood Arts, but that didn't seem to matter to the friends one bit.

Her grades were steadily dropping, though science was dipping the hardest and fastest while rising with drama. David was certain all this would change soon, and hopeful that the friends would also grow out of their attitude problem soon enough, because in his mind, they were currently a bad influence on Tori.

David wanted to do better for Trina than he had done, and he hadn't meant to upset her with his comment. He did feel remorse for his drunken behavior, but felt that it was too late for him to apologize.

He slipped away to his bedroom, rubbing his pounding temples while trying to decide whether to call and yell at Gary, or to wait for Holly to get home from the 'store' to yell at her. Of course, he wouldn't do either as he was well aware that it wouldn't solve anything.

What a failure was he of a husband if his own wife would run around with his best friend! What a failure of a father if he let a group of stuck up rich kids influence his daughter and disrespect his other child! He sat on these thoughts, moping over them, choosing to let this depression simmer and flow rather than to do anything else.

Besides, what could he do? He felt like he'd been hit with a ton of bricks. Things would get better, surely they had to! He would keep doing what he was doing, working hard to continue providing for them and to help Trina through college. All the other stuff would fix itself.

September 2013, his eldest was now twenty years old and finally received her associate's degree. She was still living at home, and transferring to the university. Tori, however, didn't want to go to college. She was in her senior year of high school and dead set on just becoming famous and getting all the directors to notice her. However, she'd been struggling quite a bit in all of her subjects at school.

History, Math, English, and worst of all, Tori was failing _Science!_ The one class she was passing was Mr. Sikowitz's drama class. Tori should have graduated by now, but she ended up having to retake her senior year. Her friends still came around regularly, still disrespected Tori's family-even going so far as to call David himself a drunken slob! They were all taking a break from college, save for Cat, who was also retaking her senior year.

David could not help but to wonder where in life he'd messed up so badly. At this point he was pretty sure his eldest daughter hated him as he hated his father, and his father hated his own before him. Trina was thereby continuing _two_ trends-studying law enforcement in college _and_ she hated her dad, but that was only his guess, his second daughter was on the verge of not graduating because all she cared about was being a performer, and his wife was busy banging his best friend.

"And that's it," David moaned as he hunched over the maple oak bar before the aging bartender. There were three empty shot glasses before him, and a tall glass of half-drank beer. "My wife's been banging my best friend for years, apparently." All his problems were still clear as day, and his own father still hadn't ever bothered with them outside of the occasional phone call to yell and tell him how much of a failure he was.

"Yeah, it does sound like you've had a rough life…" The bell on the door chimed, but David did not look back when the bartender asked the entering patron for their ID.

"It's not as if I don't like my family, I love them!" His voice rose, but not with anger. He was drunk and depressive. "Everything I've done, I've done for them." He was almost an assistant police chief, on the verge of getting that promotion. "Once I become assistant chief of police, we'll be set for life! Even my old man will have to admit I'm not a fuckup or a failure!"

"Oh I'm pretty sure grandpa was right." He froze and looked over his shoulder, seeing Trina staring him down, her arms were crossed and her body rigid. "You're a failure, _and _a screwup. What are you doing? Drinking yourself to death? You're pathetic!" Trina walked up to the bar and tossed down several bills. "Here, take this and I'll take my dad out of your hair."

"Trina…" His voice softened, and he hoped she'd turn his way, but Trina was clearly disinterested. She spun towards him, her hair sweeping over her shoulders like fire.

"Don't even start. We're going home!" She grabbed him by the wrist and began to pull him while muttering curses under her breath. "Do you even give a shit about this family, Dad? I've been trying to figure that one out since I was twelve. It's clear you don't give a shit about me with the way you let Tori's friends walk all over me or mom."

"I'm sorry, Trina…I'll make it right, just as soon as I get this next promotion."

"Whatever." She started up her car and drove off the lot. "And you think money matters? It doesn't! I don't give a shit if we're rich or poor, neither does mom or Tori." There didn't seem to be anything he could do to lessen the anger in her voice or the disappointment in her eyes. "You know, when I was a kid, I looked up to you. Now, all I can be is ashamed of you. I only _wish_ you were more a dad than just a glorified sperm donor." She rolled her eyes and looked towards a nearby streetlight. "Not that this talk matters-all you'll remember tomorrow is your hangover."

"I'm sorry."

"If that's all you've got to say for yourself, then you really are a sorry, pathetic father." He bowed his head and felt his heart break at her words. What could be done? Nothing, as far as he was concerned, for she was as right as his father had been. "One of these days that alcohol is going to kill you, Dad. You're bathing your liver in that shit, you know."

He bowed his head as Trina took a left turn. It felt like the more he tried to make things right, the more his family slipped away. "What about my car?"

"Sinjin and I will pick it up from the bar parking lot tomorrow. Just be lucky I don't leave you in the street like I want to…"

"Thank you then, sweetheart."

"Whatever."

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Not hard to see why the family may hate him by this point. Hell, if he believed three men over his daughter because he was drunk, who knows what people can get away with doing to the Vega family. This absentee father is definitely at a point of time now that he either needs to decide what's important to him, or lose everything. Let's hope he can make the right choices before it's too late.


	4. Absence of Responsibility

Family Man

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Victorious? I do not, leave me be.

A/N: I know I said I wasn't going to update until Lockdown is done, and I'm not, but the reason I'm putting this up is because when I posted the story Fanfiction was going through yet another problem in which it was eating words out of PMs and summaries, so the summary of this story looked like shit to anyone that got the alert. Therefore the summary is now _fixed_ and I want people to get that proper summary so they'll actually, you know, give this story a chance!

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Chapter 4 (Absent Responsibility)

David followed Trina into the house, hesitating before scanning the place. "I'm home with the drunk!" Trina called out. He slouched and slowly pushed his hands into his pockets. His daughter had every right to hate him, but he wished she didn't. Though, after having been put in the hospital due to one of Tori's friends cutting some rope in some play about a year ago seemed to be indicative of causing a lot of her anger, since he hadn't done anything.

Or perhaps it was his being drunk when he said they should leave her in that foreign country. Holly chewed him up big time for that one. "Why'd you have to bring him home?" His head shot to the stairs where Tori was standing in the middle of the steps with her hands gripping the rail. She was in a pink bathrobe and her hair was in mats. "I was sleeping just fine."

"Mom wanted him home." Trina grabbed a soda from the refrigerator and leaned up against the kitchen counter. "Finally found him at a bar. Not surprisingly." David stumbled over to the couch and furrowed his brow at the tips of his shoes. His legs were still, but it looked like his toes were flickering side bay side.

"I thought you were at work, Trina." David looked over his shoulders as Tori walked to her sister. Trina set her drink on the counter. She leaned forward and placed her palms on the surface.

"Shift ended and mom called up asking about dad." David was surprised to hear Trina was working. He was tempted to ask when she got a job, but thought it would be best to remain silent.

He studied Trina closely, his lips parting with surprise. She had a black police uniform with no rank insignia on her sleeve. There was a radio at her hip and shades poking out of her chest pocket. The University she was going to allowed for internships, so it was very likely she had one while working towards her bachelors. Was this yet another thing he was missing?

David slowly clenched his hands and narrowed his eyes at the tops of his knees. His lips tightened together. "You're working as a traffic cop, Trina?" He looked up to her for an answer. Trina sighed heavily and slowly bowed her head.

"I've had this internship for a couple of months now, Dad. When I get my bachelors, I'll be able to go into homicide. I've got my eye on CSI work." He sank further into the couch as his daughters' disappointed gazes scorched him. "I also have an internship mentor, Dad. Gary." His stomach flipped as the words pounded into him with the force of a powerful punch.

"Always thought you would go into something more physical, like the Olympics."

Trina took another drink, then laughed. "I'm a realist, dad, not a dreamer. No offense, Tori." Tori shrugged and made her way to the refrigerator.

"None taken, sis. You could always teach martial arts, but you're pretty much set on your career?" David fell right onto the couch and hung his arm off it. He watched his fingers gently scrape against the carpet. His head pounded as the pressure of the alcohol began to take a stab at him.

After a while, the living room light went off and soft footsteps ascended up the stairs. _"Trina shouldn't have to feel the need to work. Job experience is good though."_ He closed his eyes, bemoaning the nauseous feeling in his stomach.

The next morning he awoke on the floor beside a bucket of vomit. He was on his back, his hand rested over his abdomen and his head was pounding with terrible ferocity. Standing above him was Holly. She was wearing a red silk nightgown. Her hands were on her hips and her eyes narrowed angrily. "Good morning, David."

"Good morning. How is my darling wife?"

"Trina says she found you at a bar downtown. She and Sinjin went to pick up your car this morning." Holly reached down and grabbed his arm. "Let's get you cleaned up and off to work, you're going to be late."

He let her guide him to the bedroom, then into the shower. His body jerked as the cold water shot out at him. The tiny needlelike ice seemed penetrating to his skin, and with no sign of warming. "It's freezing, Holly. Is something wrong with the water heater?'

"No. I just haven't turned the hot water on." She handed him a glass of water and three pills. "Here's some ibuprofen for that hangover."

"Thanks…" He took the offering and downed them as quickly as he could. "Did you know Trina started a college internship?" He handed the glass back to his wife. His eyebrows slowly arched up.

"Yes I knew, Trina told us all about it. You were in your study and she tried to call you out." He frowned at the drain between his feet and felt his heart sink down. He remembered the conversation now. Trina eventually just shouted out that she was getting an internship, and he simply replied with 'that's great'. David put his hand over his eyes and groaned.

"Holly, I-" She pulled him of the shower, not allowing him time to scrub up with soap. Clearly the sole purpose was just to wake him up. "Damn, are you going to let me have some time to get cleaned?"

"David, you're extremely late for work. I called Gary to cover for you." He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over. He didn't remember much about the night before, but he did remember Trina mentioning that Gary was her supervising mentor. What was next? Gary helping Tori with her studies?

"I…appreciate that, I guess."

Tori's voice erupted throughout the house, startling both parents. "Mom!" Holly scurried off, leaving David to get dressed. When he did, he made his way out of the living room to find Tori freaking out over the bucket of vomit and a stain on the floor. "My friends are coming over, why is the house a mess!"

"You know how to clean, right?" David smirked. Tori looked to him and threw her hands to her head, screaming frustratingly before hurrying off to her bedroom.

"I'm not cleaning your shit dad!" He picked up the bucket of vomit with a heavy sigh and moved for the bathroom. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Holly scrubbing the stain on the floor.

Tori returned down the stairs a few minutes later to answer the doorbell. David was standing at the sink, washing his hands when Beck and Andre walked into the house. His brow furrowed at Beck and a wrinkle popped up between his forehead. He dared not say anything, but he did remember the many things Tori's friends had done-namely what Beck had done to Trina a few years back. It wasn't much, but making a fool out of both him and his daughter was something that opened the door for Beck and the others to get away with anything.

"Sup, Mr. Vega," Andre waved at him. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"He's fixing to leave right now!" Tori declared. "Just ignore the absentee dad."

David rolled his eyes and dried his hands off with a towel. "So what are you boys doing here so early in the morning?"

Beck started to say something, but Tori grabbed their wrists and pulled them towards the stairs. "It doesn't matter." David felt the urge to force more conversation, but held back and let them go upstairs. He threw the hand towel on the counter and looked to his wife. Holly was sitting on the couch, reading some book.

"What do you think she does in her room all day, Holly?"

"Don't know." Holly didn't look up from her book, but shrugged. David pulled the right corner of his lips back, forming a circle on that cheek as he glanced to the stairwell. "She always says she's studying. Usually Trina goes up there and deals with things."

"'Things'?"

"She's eighteen and has already failed her senior year once. What do you think she's doing?" He felt a rush of anger and curled his fingers on the counter as bile burned in his esophagus. The door opened up and Trina entered into the house with Sinjin. She raised an eyebrow at him and poked her thumb to the car.

"Go ahead and get to work, Dad. I know how important your job is." Trina looked to the left, then right. "Why isn't Tori up yet, Mom? I saw Andre's car out front."

"Tori's upstairs with the boys. Probably studying."

Trina put her hand to her forehead. "How many times have I told her, if she's going to study with the guys, she needs to do it downstairs?" Trina walked swiftly towards the steps and pointed to Sinjin, then David. "Sinji, take dad to work, I don't want him driving to another bar after his shift tonight. I'll deal with Tori and her friends." Sinjin looked at Trina with concern, watching until she disappeared at the top of the stairs.

David felt guilty watching her go, knowing she was carrying a lot of the responsibility on her shoulders that _he_ should have done. His family hardly let him try anymore, but he understood why. He wasn't expected to try, they simply figured him too uncaring to give a shit. "Come on sir, let's get you to work." He looked over to Sinjin and made his way towards the man.

As they neared the door, they heard Tori shouting at Trina. Andre and Beck were walking down the stairs, muttering about how crazy Trina was. Sinjin growled at them and continued to usher David outside. "How do you not flip out at them?" David asked the man while making his way to Sinjin's car.

"A lot of patience, to be honest. I've already beaten one of them once, and Trina got upset with me over it." Sinjin unlocked the car doors and flicked his eyes towards the man. "Don't take this the wrong way, Mr. Vega, but what is your excuse? You see the way they treat your daughter, you see how much respect Tori's friends have for you, your wife, and your kids, but you let them do whatever they damn well please."

He slid into the passenger side of the car and pat his hand on his knees, sighing heavily. "I know…"

Sinjin started up the car and looked up to the second story window. "Then you also know how many times you nearly lost your daughters because of them?" David raised an eyebrow as Sinjin backed out of the drive. "For instance, that time last year when Tori was donating blood, and one of the friends kept destroying the blood packet-leaving that incompetent nurse to continue taking blood. Tori could have died. Then one of them cutting the cord on Trina's harness during that play that one time, putting her in the hospital? She's lucky she didn't break her neck. The thing is, you let them get away with a lot of shit, and it's like you don't even _care_."

"I do care!" His brow furrowed and he swept his hand through his hair, sighing heavily. "I just-I guess I never noticed what they do."

"Oh you notice, I know you do, I can see the way you look at them. You just never do anything. It's like you're afraid of them or something!"

"My daughter hates me enough as it is, if I send her friends away…"

Sinjin frowned and slowly shook his head. "That's what I thought." David pressed his lips together and curled his fingers into his pant legs. Why did Trina have to date someone that was so observant? Then again, patience and silence tends to make people more observant and wise than someone who speaks foolishly. Trina was with a damn good man, and he _was_ happy for her because of it. At least he wouldn't have to worry about his daughter finding some hack job, half-ass man like him.

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David is kind of a pushover, lets a lot go on with his family that he doesn't know about and spends his time wallowing in self pity. Trina, on the other hand, has to "be the man" of the house.


End file.
